1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coin-processing device for use in automatic vending machines, money changing machines, self-service machines and similar apparatus, which identifies inserted banknotes as authentic or counterfeit, and stores the authentic banknotes. It relates in particular to a banknote-processing device provided with an IC card reader/writer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, automatic vending machines, money changing machines, self-service machines and similar apparatus which handle banknotes for the purpose of purchasing goods and other services are equipped with a banknote-processing device, which serves to identify inserted banknotes as authentic or counterfeit and store authentic banknotes in a stacker.
Meanwhile, in recent years it has become increasingly common to purchase goods from an automatic vending machine not by using currency, but by using so-called IC cards on which monetary and other information is recorded within an IC recording area.
When an IC card of this sort is to be used for the purpose of purchasing goods, a card reader/writer must be installed within the automatic vending or self-service machine to allow access to the IC recording area of the card in order to record or reproduce the monetary and other information stored there.
Currently there are proposals for various forms of access from the card reader/writer to the IC card, including non-contact access via an antenna or other means of communication, access by way of direct contact with the IC recording area, and a combination of the two.
Meanwhile, there are proposals for various types of card to correspond to each of these types of access to the card reader/writer. These include cards having an embedded antenna which relays information from the IC recording area without contact, those which relay information directly through contact with the card reader/writer, and those which have a combination of both functions.
When viewed from the perspective of the automatic vending or self-service machine to which the banknote-processing device is fitted, there is no particular problem of installation space so long as only a card reader/writer is installed within the automatic vending or self-service machine. However, when a card reader/writer is to be installed in an automatic vending machine where a banknote-processing device or coin-processing device is provided as conventional vending machine or self-service machine, it becomes necessary to conserve space within the automatic vending or self-service machine for the card reader/writer. Thus, there arises a problem that the storage space for goods within the automatic vending or self-service machine, which is already restricted, will become even more restricted so that it will become impossible to ensure sufficient space for storing goods within the machine.